Thursday, October 30, 2008

Have you ever had a hoecake? Last Saturday, I found myself in Oxford, Mississippi and that’s what I had for breakfast—hoecakes.

I was attending the 11th Annual Southern Foodways Symposium. This year, the theme was drinkways and true to form, that morning there were on offer cool jugs of thick, tart buttermilk dotted with flecks of butter. But it was the hoecakes that held my attention and left me craving more.

Hoecakes, at least where I’m from, aren’t that common. My great-grandma Blanche used to make them, but she was the last one in my family to prepare them on a regular basis. In Oxford, we were eating them for breakfast, smothered in sweet sorghum syrup, but my great-grandma used to serve them instead at lunch and dinner in place of cornbread.

It’s said they are named hoecakes because field workers cooked them on their hoes hovered over an open flame. They’re also known as Johnnycakes, ashcakes or hot-water cornbread, as my great-grandmother called them. But no matter what you say, cornmeal is the key to hoecakes. There are countless recipes for hoecakes, but at their most basic they are made with just cornmeal, hot water and salt.

Hoecakes are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Sometimes, they come stuffed with chewy cracklin’s, as were the ones I ate in Oxford. I’ve also heard stories of people adding green onions, corn or chiles to their hoecakes. I, however, prefer mine plain topped with a spread of sweet butter and a sprinkle of salt.
The best thing about hoecakes is their economy. They cost little to make but yield large returns for both the mouth and the stomach. A hoecake’s simplicity is a palliative for these complex times.

Now, if you’re like me, you’re excited by next Tuesday’s election. But as thrilling as this election may be (whichever side wins, history will be made!), it’s also been exhausting. I knew long ago who I was voting for, but I still insisted on devouring every debate, speech, interview and article I could find. And considering that I’ve been following this road to the White House ever since Obama gave a speech in Austin in March 2007, it’s been a long journey indeed.

In honor of next Tuesday’s election, I’ve decided to make a batch of hoecakes except I will be calling them instead, hope cakes.

So, let’s hope that whoever is elected will be a good steward of our trust and bounty. Let’s hope that whoever is elected will make wise decisions regarding our relations with the world. Let’s hope that whoever is elected will fight for justice. Let’s hope that whoever is elected will promote the dignity and freedom of every person.

And, perhaps most important of all, let’s hope that whoever is elected will restore our nation’s equilibrium—so we no longer think in shades or red or blue but instead one glorious shade of purple.
Hoecakes (aka hope cakes)
Ingredients
1 cup of cornmeal
1 cup of boiling water
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons of bacon grease, lard or oil

Method:
1. Mix boiling water in with cornmeal and salt until thick batter is formed.
2. Allow it to cool for ten minutes, and then form patties.
3. Heat fat in skillet, and cook patties for a few minutes on each side.
Makes 8

I make these. My mama was a Texan and made these regularly but we called them "fried cornbread." In Alabama (I was married for a while to an Alabamian!), hoecakes are pretty much biscuits you cook on top of the stove, and fried cornbread is deep fried from a loose batter of cornmeal, self-rising flour, and water.

I love these, and now I shall call them hoecakes! And yes--let's pray for purple. I wish us all peace. Peace and hoecakes!

Those we some damn good hoecakes, you're not lyin'. There are some good ones to be had at Edna's Restaurant in Chicago, and Papa KayJoe's BBQ in Centerville, TN (also home to Mrs. Armstrong's fried pies, which should NOT be missed), serves their pork sandwiches on hoecakes. Really, you can't go wrong with a hoecake--er, hopecake;) And you definitely deserve extra points for fashioning letters from that batter of yours. Lovely.

BEGINNING OF POLITICAL RANT // I would vote for painting the country purple! I'm in the minority here in Texas. It's no fun being a Democrat in Collin County Texas... only Republicans run for office, so I never get to select them as I don't vote in their primary. ;-) I think all local/county/school board/judge offices should be REALLY non-partisan, not just lip service to being sort of non-partisan. That's the state of Texas politics in my neck of the woods (prairie). END OF RANT //P.S. I've never had a hoe cake but I've had plenty of great buttermilk cornbread. Once while staying in R.I. for a wedding, I did have JohnnyCakes for breakfast. They were yummy. I'll give this a try. Maybe my low carb hubby will try it. He's given up all the white & brown carb foods: all potatoes, all pasta, all rice and most bread.

I am a very Homesick Texan now living in northeast England. I discovered hoecakes back home in Austin, TX. One of my favorite hangouts is a great restaurant called Hoover's Cooking which serves some of the best home-style food. They have this awesome breakfast called "Chicken 'n' Cakes" where you can select a chicken item (pieces of fried chicken or BBQ chicken, chicken 'n' dumplings, honey BBQ wings) AND pancakes (hoecakes, buttermilk, sweet potato, blueberry, gingerbread, banana nut). My favorite combination is hoecakes with BBQ chicken drizzled with pure maple syrup. It is addictive.

Wow, neat story and recipe! I have the Ingredients for this! However, the real reason i wanted to comment was your statement on the election. I LOVE the HOPE message, and I think it's WONDERFUL, honest, real, and above all, PURPLE! Thanks for that!!

Hoecakes are something I've only read about and I was under the impression that they were plain, dry pioneer-type fare, but seeing them up close like this I see I was wrong about them. They look delicious.

I've never heard of the hoecakes, but a lot of of southern influenced Texas food doesn't quite get to West Texas.

The purple state idea is a nice wish, though red staters (those in red states, and those who lean red but live in blue states) will no more go along with a blue government than the blue staters went along with the Bush presidency.

But as for the hoecakes, I'm thinkin' a pot of pinto beans, as mentioned above, fits the bill perfectly.

I just made these for dinner. How in the world have I lived 31 years without realizing that there's a dish out there that tastes like cornbread, only better andeasier to make?! They were fantastic with honey.

Thank you for making my tastebuds very happy with such an easy recipe. My life somehow feels more complete now....

Sounds like a good recipe! I'll certainly have to try it. As far as the politics go, I'm a Libertarian, and I hope for more than purple. And, to be quite honest, if you were hoping for purple, McCain is far more bipartisan than Obama (an unfortunate truth). But, I think Obama will win regardless - and I'm wondering exactly what changes that will bring. For now, however, these hoecakes will be a nice change in my kitchen ;)

Being a homesick Dallas, Texan in Chicago, I made these Saturday night for my friends (one from Iowa and the other from the Southside of Chicago)...one of which never had soul food. Anyhow, I made these, black-eyed peas, and collards. They were so delicious. I couldn't believe it!!! You must make them if you never have. You won't believe how tasty and simple they are.

So, my aunt makes these, and she calls them Hot-water cornbread. My aunt and my mom are from Maud, TX (East Texas) and fabulous cooks. Anyhow, she's always made them for my mom, but my Aunt can't seem to tell her how to make them. In my family, you can't get a recipe out of us to save your life, and even just last night my mom called me asking how to make one of HER dishes she made when I was growing up.

So, I was absolutely thrilled to see this recipe on your sight. I immediately called my mom to tell her how to make them. My mom recalls that my Aunt also added chile powder to hers. So thank you! This recipe will now be one to pass down to future generations!

I will be in Oxford this weekend! Love that place! and no, the Gin and Rebel Deli are long gone, Dangit!The Gin had the best plate lunches(MEAT AND THREE). And Rebel Deli had these great steamed sandwiches. Smoked Turkey and Hot PePPer Cheese on Onion roll. Oh Yea.

How did I get to be 71 years old without eating a single hoecake? After all those years of camping when we wanted cornbread but thought we didn't have a way to cook it under our circumstances while camping, it was there staring us in the face all the time...http://maedeans.blogspot.com/2008/11/hoecakes.html

WOW!!!! I have been wondering for nearly 4 years what a hoecake was. Come to find out, I've been eating them all my life (though not as pretty as these) under the moniker of hot-water cornbread. Great to see some good ol' southern eatin' on a blog!